"My grandfather is in this movie," the stranger wrote in broken English. "Not the actor. The man."

Elias paused. Land and Freedom was a fictionalized account of the POUM militia, but it was famous for using non-actors and real veterans in its heart-wrenching collective discussion scenes.

"He is the one arguing about the land," the stranger continued. "The one who says, 'If we don't collectivize now, what are we fighting for?' He died last week. I wanted to see his face again. Thank you for keeping the light on."